Recent content by hamachi

I didn't post it, but here it is in a nutshell: ~5.3g batch 1.8# Maris-Otter 1.0# Munich 0.6# Crystal 40 0.5# Aromatic 0.25# Special B Various leftover hops to target 19 IBU Mash in a bag at 162 degrees F. WLP002 yeast OG = 1.021 FG = 1.010

Based on a previous experiment which I described in this thread but never reported back on, I concluded that for low ABV beers, conventional mashing with less grain works just as well and is simpler & less wasteful compared to the cold mash method. If you go the conventional route, specialty...

Since the OP is a stats geek, and so am I, I will express myself in statistical terms: I see variance -- i.e., novelty -- as an end in itself. I'm not solely interested in (re)experiencing the best beer I have ever drunk, the best food I have ever eaten, or the best place I have ever visited on...

Ha! This was before I knew anything about the importance of temperature control. So I'd characterize it as, "Pitch low and let it go." I pitched the yeast at about 18C. I do remember the fermenter getting warm to the touch a few days in and thinking, "I wonder if that's too hot?" But it's a...

The first beer I ever made where I could say to myself, "Wow, that's really good!" was a Belgian Golden Strong using wlp550. The recipe I used was a modified, less hoppy version of "She Devil". So, yes, very good results for that style with wlp550.

This fear of "chemicals" in beer makes no sense to me. In the above approach, you are using acetic acid, sodium chloride, ethanol, and small amounts of esters and other organic compounds in your homemade sanitizer. All of these are chemicals. When you ferment beer, the yeast give off god knows...

I'll say! Just yesterday I bottled a Westvleteren 8 clone for which I used WLP530. I knew that yeast was a monster, so I brewed up just 3.5 gallons of wort to put into a 6.5 gallon stainless steel fermenter. After I popped the lid yesterday, I could see from the residue that the krausen had...

Here's a thought: Start with a cold mash, as used to make low-alcohol beers. To avoid too much of a grainy taste, let the starch settle to the bottom for a few hours; then drain off the supernatant. Boil and chill some hop tea, and add to the cool "wort". Keg and carbonate. The result should...

Apart from the move from extract to all grain, I have never really left the basics: Mash in a bag in a 10 gallon cooler, 3-pot boil on kitchen stove, immersion chiller, no starters, no pumps; rely on muscle and gravity to get wort from one place to another. Brew days are still 5+ hours, but I...

Yes, it would work. Due both to my kettle sizes and weak electric stove, I do this for every batch that I brew. I mash in a bag. The first running goes into the big pot. Batch sparge 1 goes into the medium pot. Batch sparge 2 goes into the small pot. Hops usually go into the small pot. At the...

Fascinating. When you use beans, how do you do it? Mill them dry? Soak them before adding to the mash? Get them canned, smash them, then add to the mash? Also, what type of beans (pintos, kidneys, etc.)? A detailed procedure including your step mash schedule would be helpful because you have...

I was in your exact shoes about 1.5 years ago, switched from extract to MIAB while continuing to bottle, and have no intention of changing because: MIAB is a cheap, simple way to do all-grain. And as others have mentioned, AG gives you much more flexibility in what you brew compared to extract...

No way would I try that -- as much because of all the wet grain I'd have to deal with as anything else. (My MIAB setup is based purely on muscles and gravity; no pumps, no pulleys.) Given the limited amount of pre-boil volume I can handle, the efficiency would probably suck as well. I do brew...

I had a bunch of leftover adjuncts, hops, and flavorings that went into a "Motley Ale" that I brewed a few months back. It turned out surprisingly tasty. I always get my grain fresh from the LHBS, but in keeping with the kitchen sink theme, I used a mix of barley, wheat, and oats. Not that...

I do all-grain MIAB brewing using 3 pots on my kitchen stove for the boil. I can do full-volume 2.5 gallon batches or ~ 3/5 volume 5 gallon batches which I then top off in the fermenter. I have not noticed any difference in quality between my full volume and topped-off batches. Based on this...